Ch. 7 Constructing Meaning

When I was in high school, we sometimes had a discussion during the text but the majority of the discussions took place after we finished reading. The discussion that took place at the end of the text usually prepared me for questions that would be on a test or homework. From reading about some of the strategies Beers listed in this chapter I felt that I would have had a better understanding of the text that I read in school had my teachers discussed the book while we read, not just at the end. 

I really like how Beers showed students responses to the poem "Huswifery". This exercise really showed the struggling reader how much good readers have to do in order to comprehend a text. From this point, I see how important it is to show students what we are thinking because they cannot see it. From reading DeDe's story, I can see how important it is to show dependent readers what good readers do while they read in . DeDe was surprised to hear how Beers read during her think-aloud , and I can see how DeDe’s comprehension improved when she tried the strategy as well.

I like how Beers provides exercises that would help all sorts of learners whether they are auditory, visual, or kinesthetic.I really like the idea of using a signal words chart in the classroom, because students can look at it while they read and think about what is happening in the text. Overall, I felt that the major point Beers was trying to get across is that kids need to figure out what is going on in the text while they read it, and that teachers need to find an exercise that meets their students needs. Discussing a book at the end will not help students comprehend the text.